Continued from pages wonderful drama of this world: the way in which human beings. amidst chaos and uncertainty, struggle feverishly, desperately and in mental agony for order and harmony. For him. on the contrary, this harmony exists, as it were, from the very beginning. It is innate in him along with a certain lukewarmness of the ’blood and that characteristic Indian softness; and he merely passes on this feeling of harmony to his students and others."

Stefan Zweig remained the one reputed German writer who has retained a critical appreciation of Rabindranath Tagore for a large number of years, as we see from his letters to. Ramain Romain Rolland.

Hermann Hesse and Stefan Zweig had visited Asia and lived with Indian thought for much of their Ilves, The other two eminent German writers who wrote on Rabindranath. . Thomas Mann and Rainer Maria Rilke, entertained no such leanings. Rilke's interest in Asia was focussed on Russia, while Marin remained staunchly entrenched in the German traditions of philosophical thought derived from Arthur Schopenhauer and Friedrich Nietzsche.

Hence it is not surprising that Thomas Mann reacted rather strongly against what he termed "Indian mildness" and idealism. Mann was known to be a realistic bourgeois writer and thus was a pole apart from the metaphysical idealism of Rabindranath. But as Thomas Mann was in the 1920s among the best-known German writers. the two busiest propagators of Rabindranath Tagore In Germany — Hermann Keyser -ling and Kurt wolf — both tried to bring Rabindranath and Thomas Mann together.

In 1921, Hermann Keyser-Ung sent a letter to Thomas Mann asking him to write an article publicising Keyser

Ling's plan to launch a "Tagore-Week" in Darmstadt. He probably also requested Mann to go to Darmstadt to actively participate in the venture. In his reply. Mann declined the Invitation and explained his reasons • politely, but without mincing words.

"Dear and Respected Count Keyserling,

I cordially than k you for your letter. It exudes so much enthusiasm that I almost packed my bags and went to Darmstadt. However, this would have been easier than writing an article, particularly one canvassing for this famous Indian of whom I have, whether you believe it or not. no understanding, or almost node, until now. I am familiar with isolated, intensely soulful poems of his which, however, reading them in German, made no immediate impression on me. as indeed is the case witlj all translated poetry, the image I have always had of him is picturesque but pallied. Surely 1 do him an injustice in assuming'that the subjective pdllor of this image reflects reality: in presuming him to be a typical Indian pacifist, animated by a somewhat nanaemic humanitarian spirit and a mildness which I deemed almost hostile in the years 1 spent engrossed in viO' lent emotional conflict. Surely the man is totally different. Since I understand from your letter that he has made a deep impression on you. he must be great. But ks It is you who are under his personal spell, how can you think that someone else, for example myself, cop Id be the right person to write an essay publicising the Tagore Week in Darmstadt? This you have to do yourself!.

It is important to realise that Thomas Mann broached the subject of translations, doubting the validity of translated poetry, while the fact that Rabindranath s poetry was . translated from an English

What had happened on this ill-fated morning? Thomas Mann had listened to Rabindranath. and then moved forward to introduce himself in English. He immediately -pushed his wife in front to let her do the talking, embarrassingly. Rabindranath did not seem to grasp that it was Thomas Mann who was standing before him. Alluding to Rabindranath's long hair and flowing robe, and general de-’ meanour, M,annh ironically likened him to a "fine old English lady". One 'mpst remember th^t he made this remark in a private diary.

Rainer Maria Rilke had already heard of Rabindranath Tagore's Gitan/ali in September 191?. that IS, two months before the Indian _poel was awarded the Nobet Prize. This makes Rilke the first German man of letters who had heard and commented on the Poet. In a letter to his friend Lou Andreas-Salome. Rilke mentioned, in a brief*sentence. an "article about 'Rabindranath Tagore, the Bengali poet of whom Van Eeden. who had a .voluminous correspondence with Rabindranath,' was himself a Dutch poet, and also a physician and social reformer.

Later, towards the end of the year, Andre Gice read out his own French translation of Gitanjali In Paris. This was Just a month after the news that Tagore was to receive the Novel Prize had been announced. Rilke, impressed by Gide's rendering, mentioned it in letters to several close friends, and also to the German publisher of Rabindranath. Kurt Wolff. To him. Rilke wrote:

Dear Mr Wolff.

...T am eagerly awaiting the German edition of Rabindranath Tagore Andre Gide has recently acquainted us here with his impression of this poet. His translation of Gitanjali. from which he enthusiastically presented a few extracts, seems genuinely to be animated by the spirit of the original poems."

prose version Into Genpan apparently did not pose a problem to the other writers mentioned here, including Rainer Maria Rilke (to whom we shall turn currently). Also mark how cleverly Thomas Mann criticised the Indian poet in frint of his enthusiastic admirer. Keyserllrig. Beginning his tongue-in-cheek criticism With the words "Surely I do him an injustice ' in assuming", he nonetheless uttered this presumed "injustice" comprehensively!

Thomas Mann thus avoided going to Darmstadt. But when Rabindranath Tagore visited Munich, Where Mann resided, he no longer could avoid the Indian poet, especially since Kurt Wolff, a leading. German publisher, invited Mann. First ne was invited to a lecture of Rabindranath, and the next day to a recitation given at Kurt Wolffs home. Ori both occasions Mann thought it a social obligation to go. taking along his wife. Katya, to the recitation. His diary which was published ’long after his death.-gives a sketchy account of what has happened:

(Tuesday. 7th June 19211

In the evening, attended Tagore's lecture at the university. Sat in frcfnt of K Wolff, next to Bjornson. greeted^the Pilar 16. Odd, but rather accurately anticipated impression of this Indian. Went home on foot. Tagore desires to make my acquaintance, an’d is lecturing tomorrow at Wolffs to which we are Invited.

(Wednesday. 8th June 1921]

At 11 drove with K (atyal to Kurt Wolfs for R. Tagore's lec ture. Select gathering. The impression of a fine old English lady gained strength.' His son was brown and muscular - a masculine type. I was introduced, said "it was go beautiful" and pushed K(atya) forward: "my wife who speaks English better than I". He did not seem to grasp who I was.

With his letter. Rilke set off a chain reaction. Reading Rilke's praise ol Gide's French GitanJalL Wolff had a brainwave: why should the German Gitanjali. which he was bringing out at the himself? And Wolff dashed off. a letter to Rilke with this proposal. Although the German translation had already been done, by Marie Luise Gotheln, It was not yet published, and ft seemed that Wolff would have been all too willing to delay the publication of this award-winning book by some weeks or months, for the sake of having Rilke as its translator.

. It would have been a unique constellation! In England. William Butler Yeats had lent a hand at the translation, in France it was Andre Gide. and in Germany it would have been Rainer Marla ^ilke! Three great European writers at the service of the Indian poet!

But Rilke politely dispatched a telegram from Paris - declining the offer and following it up by a long letter explaining his reasons. This letter of 7th January 1914 is Of special value lo'Tagore scholars. as it states in- detail the reaction of a major European poet to Tagore's Gitanjali. Here is l lie full text:

Dear Mr Kurt Wolff.

A bright sunny day. and I have taken your proposal with me on a long stroll, as one can deal.wiili suph difficult questions belter while walking. In the open, tliey seem to arrange themselves into a clearer configuration almost automatically, and certginly with greater ease than if one were to ponder , them arduously at the writing table. Then on the way back. I sent you a telegram refusing. Nov easily done, because, firstly, haifi reluctant to turn you down, and furthermore, there was - as you yburself must have felt - a great deal that was tempting in the offer itself,

There is a reason for refusing which in fact renders all other reasons superfluous: namely that I do not find within myself that irrefutable call for the proposed assignment', from which alone could emerge a definitive and responsible work. Although much in these stanzas has a familiar ring, it seems, so to speak, to be borne towards me on a tide of unfamiliarity whose movement I would hardly know how to reproduce without somehow doing violence to myself. This may be partly due to my meagre acquaintance with the English language. I am alienated from it so rapidly that I can never quite grasp its meaning without repeated as- . sista nee Besides. I have become involved in a few translations from other languages -modest attempts, not worth discussing. . which continue alongside my real work, but which, nevertheless, looking at It dispassionately, are too dear for me to wish to give up. A decision to undertake such a significant assignment would In fact not only overshadow these, but also, for a while all

iny own work. Frankly speaking. ibis would at present be pain tut for me. since 1 had hoped to devote myself here in total seclusion .more to true inwardness than to reproducing words already uttered, however beautiful they may be.

TIH then, my dear Mr. Kurt Wolff, is about all I have to Say. You can see my line of thought. 1 have disclosed the way I examined myself, so I do not think ypu can conclude that i have underestimated your attractive proposal.

I have nor vet rrtid enough of ilic German edition to assess the need implied by your request. Is it really imperative to reject such a substantial manuscript? Turning to familiar passages, which I liave perused one by one. I cannot say offhand whether they could indeed have been better rendered.

As already mentioned. I am grateful for your sincere confidence in me, and. on this note. I remain with kind regards.

Yours sincerely.

RM Rilke

We have not found any evidence that Rilke maintained bis interest in Rabindranath, later, for example in 1921. when he visited Germany.

In this article, we have reviewed the articulate responses by four of the foremost German-speaking writers to Rabindranath Tagore. Only one, Thomas Mann, has responded In a totally negative way: the others -Hermann Hess. Stefan Zweig, and Rainer Marla Rilke - were drawn towards Rabindranath with different degrees of intensity. Hesse considered his writing too European. Rilke too alien. None of them accepted or rejected the Indian poet lightly, with superficial motives: None of them wqs also emotionally near the adulation the masses showered on him. In fact they found the fact of this adulation a difficulty in their relationship with Rabindranath. Zweigh discussed this in his essay on Sadhana.

Hesse and Zweig belonged to that group of important writers and intellectuals in Europe who worked to build bHdges between the "East" and the "West" Rilke, too. reached out to the East, namely to Russia, where he went to meet Lev Tolstoy. Only Thomas Mann remained thoroughly encapsulated ip the boura-geouamilieu of his German businessman's culture.

With these responses the German cultural context In the 1920s may also become transparent to some extent. In that sense these responses are as much comments on Rabindranath as on the German writers who made therft But we must also keep in mind that none of the persons mentioned could read the Poet in the original. The translations were weak and fallacious. The comments on Rabindranath could have some degree of truth only if the writers came Into an active contact with the poet's original language